Caramel Apple Milkshake

This recipe reminds me of those gorgeous caramel apples on display at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Until I got my braces, I looked forward to caramel apples every autumn. (After the braces went on, I was probably more upset about not being allowed caramel than gum.)

Ever since I made the (No Sugar!) Cookie Dough Dip, I’d been curious to experiment more with blending dates as a substitute for sugar. I’ve heard people say they think dates have a caramel-like taste, and therefore I figured an apple recipe would be the perfect place to start.

This caramel-apple milkshake manages to capture all the deliciousness of a crisp, juicy apple, dripping with thick caramel sauce.

Caramel Apple Milkshake

(sugar and gluten-free)

scant 1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup pitted dates (such as Sunmaid)

scant 1/16 tsp salt

1/3 cup milk of choice

3 tbsp nondairy creamer (I used Silk. You can substitute milk of choice, for a caramel-apple smoothie as opposed to the richer taste of a shake. Or you can sub full-fat canned coconut milk.)

In a little dish, pour a little water over the dates and let them sit for at least two hours. Then blend all other ingredients with the dates and 1 tbsp of the water. (Drain the rest of the water before blending.) Alternatively, you can blend the dates a little before adding the other ingredients. The shake will get thicker as it sits.

The cream melts into the shake, making it even more rich and delicious. I also drizzled on some brown rice syrup, more for presentation than anything else!

Question of the Day:

Did you ever have braces?

Initially, I was really excited to get my braces on. I even worried I might not need them, because my teeth were always pretty straight. But once the novelty of having braces wore off, I wished I hadn’t needed them. Every orthodontist appointment, I hoped to hear that the darn things were coming off soon!

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Comments

This milkshake looks awesome!
I had braces for about a year in 3rd grade. Being so young, I LOVED them! I looked forward to the orthodontist to change my band colors, especially for holidays. 🙂 But when I got them off, it was nice to have smooth teeth again. 🙂 And I would have hated them if I had to have them in HS…

Despite being a huge apple-lover, I’ve never thought of putting apple into a smoothie and/or milkshake! Great idea… and recipe, as always. 🙂 Drizzling on some brown syrup for presentation was a great idea! It really does take it over the top in terms of looks.

I was completely the same when it comes to braces! I was super excited to get them on and customize the colours in the braces and blah blah because everyone else around me was getting them (in middle school; I lived in Illinois at the time)… then getting them on was no fun and they caused so many problems, and I hated them and couldn’t wait to get them off. (Getting metal bands put on my molars was THE most painful experience I’ve had at the orthodontist’s office, also. Never again!)

I still have to wear a retainer and it bugs me too. Argh, wish teeth just came out perfect and stayed that way… 😐

I have braces right now and I am 25 they suck but I know I will have perfect teeth eventually. All your recipes look so good, maybe one day I will finally attempt one instead of drooling on my keyboard each day I look at your blog.

I’ve never had braces though my dentist suggested I did! My teeth didn’t pose any problem to me and still don’t so I’ve never had them done before (also because their pretty expensive here! A few grand at least!) I totally agree about caramel! Its outrageously delicious. And since dates taste like caramel, I think I’m going to add it to some recipes! Maybe oatmeal!

I had braces for 2 years in middle school. Actually aside from the adjustments and added difficulty brushing, they didn’t bother me much. I cut my corn off the cob but caramel, as yummy as it is, I never ate it that often.

This milkshake looks good. I bet the applesauce really lightens it up too. Sometimes (ok often) when you drink a milkshake it sits like a ton of bricks in your tummy. I so love Fall and all things apple. 🙂

Shake looks scrumptious! I <3 caramel apple – it's so perfect for fall (and in Florida right now it's in the 70s – finally FEELS like fall compared to the 90s last week!).
I had braces in middle school, complete with headgear (that fortunately only had to be worn at home!)… I hated them but love my straight teeth now 🙂

Very creative recipe!!
I told my mum you had created a sugar free cookie dough dip recipe and she was delighted! I guess I better head to the kitchen and blend up some chickpeas 😉 She loves the dip soooo much!

This milkshake looks so delicious! Yes, I wear braces and am still wearing them as I type! I just put them on not too long ago and already can’t wait to get them off! I just went for tightening and it hurts so badly right now! Btw, what dates do you use? Medjool?

What a nice fall treat, especially when Indian summer is here. I made some date muffins last year that used soaked and pureed dates and were surprisingly delicious. I had kind of forgotten about using dates that way, thanks for the reminder!

I had to have braces for three years and it was absolutely awful. Getting them tightened was horrible, but so was spending all of that time at the orthodontist’s office! I wonder what I could have done with all of those extra hours…

ah no, it seems like my comment has just vanished!
This is such a creative recipe! Seems like one that will win carnivores over 😉
I was wearing braces for a couple of years… I also liked choosing colours and stuff, but besides that, I just wanted them off. And when they eventually came off, my teeth seemed soooo huge and when biting into an apple I felt like my teeth were falling out. So weird. But I like my straight teeth 🙂